How to Write a CV as a CFO or Financial Executive

Writing your CV is a task no one wants to do. Financial executives often find themselves leaving their CV writing to the last minute. CFOs are more comfortable exploring their latest Excel spreadsheets than curating a winning CV. While your CV may seem like a monotonous task, it’s one of the most important aspects of the recruitment process.

Your CV should speak for itself. It forms that all-important first impression that a recruiter or potential employer forms of you. Easy errors could find your CV going instantly into the rejection box for competitive positions.

FD Capital oversees recruitment for thousands of career opportunities within the financial industry both for interim CFOs and Permanent ones.  Our team sees dozens of CVs daily. A winning CV that ticks all the boxes will get your application to the next stage and help you find the most suitable position.

We’re sharing our team’s top tips on writing a CV as a CFO or financial executive. Our hands-on approach to recruitment means that we work with our talent pool to help them develop to the next stage of their career. This advice is what we give every candidate who comes through our doors.

Are you ready to take the next step in your career? Then contact our team.

What Your Financial Executive CV Needs to Include

The number one rule of writing a CV is that it should be tailored to the position you’re applying for. This nuance means that you will need to make minor tweaks to your CV and portfolio, depending on the vacancy.

You want your CV to effectively walk a recruiter or potential employer through your work history and education, highlighting the skills and experience that sets you apart. While it’s easy to focus on squeezing your top talents into 2 A4 pages, there are a few basic things that every CV must-have.

1. Your contact details

One of the worst mistakes you can make is to forget to put your contact information on your CV. Add the most relevant contact information and avoid using a company email address if possible. Only include contact information for emails and phone numbers that you have access to and regularly check.

Ensure that your contact details are easy to find and appear at least twice on your CV. It’s traditional to include your contact information in the footer or header of your CV.

2. An executive summary or overview

While there are dozens of different template styles you can use for your CV, it should always include an executive summary. This snapshot paragraph is your elevator pitch. You want to include the top lines of your CV and what sets you apart as a financial executive.

This summary should only be a few sentences in length and be specific to the job you’re applying for. It’s the one part of your CV that you should update for each application.

Your executive summary should focus on how you can add value to a company. What are your major achievements? How much collective fundraising have you achieved? Did you oversee a major merger or acquisition? Highlight this in your executive summary.

Keep your executive summary short and sweet. Most recruiters and companies will insist on CVs being no longer than two A4 pages. Your executive summary is simply the introduction that ties together the overarching themes of your CV.

3. Skills summary with statistics

Another mistake CFOs make when writing their CV is by assuming that a recruiter knows they have certain skills. A skill that you may think is standard could be what you’re known for within the industry.

If you have a specialist skill or your career has focused on a niche industry, consider including a skills summary. The role of CFO is constantly evolving, taking on a more technological focus.

Compare the skills you’ve listed to any that are specifically mentioned in the job description. Most recruiters will apply a ‘tick box’ method when reading CVs, ticking off your information where it lines up with the requirements of the vacancy.

When you list a skill, do your best to back it up. Statistics matter, whatever stage of your career you’re at.

4. Reasons for leaving your current job

One of the first questions you’ll get asked at a job interview is why you’re leaving your current position. Whatever the circumstances, find a way to put a positive spin on it somewhere in your CV. Your executive summary is an ideal way to touch on your future career plans and goals.

5. Focus on personal development

The chances that are the competition has the same degree and general work experience that you do. What will set your CV apart is your personal development. Take the time to include any additional training you’ve received, projects you’re working on, and extracurricular activities.

The role of CFO is changing like never before. Your CV is an opportunity to showcase the transferable skills and experiences you have that will help you hit the ground running.

What Every CFO Should Know About Writing Their CV

 The biggest challenge when writing your CV as a CFO is to keep it clear and concise. Go through several edits to remove anything repetitive and ask a mentor or friend to proofread your CV. It’s always great to have a fresh perspective on your CV.

There’s no such thing as a ‘one size fits all’ approach to writing any CV – especially as a financial executive.

At FD Capital, our consultants and recruiters take a hands-on approach to nurturing the talent of our financial executives. We work with them to identify areas of potential growth and where they can add value to their CV. Are you looking to take the next step on the career ladder? Join our talent pool today by emailing your CV to our team at recruitment@fdcapital.co.uk.

As a boutique recruitment agency, we specialise in connecting highly skilled financial professionals with start-ups and scaling businesses across the UK and beyond. We recruit for CFOs and financial executives on a part-time, full-time, and interim basis. Start your journey with FD Capital by visiting our website today.